In 1956, Lauren Bacall appeared in a "Ford Star Jubilee" television production of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, starring and directed by Coward. That program will be part of the Museum of Television and Radio's upcoming series, "Mad About the Boy: Noel Coward on Television," running Sept. 17 through Oct. 21, and Bacall herself will introduce the program.

Bacall has good reason for being on hand for the unveiling of "Blithe Spirit"-- she, herself, gave the MTR its copy of the performance. When the museum was putting together the series honoring Coward's centennial, they found they could not locate 43-year-old show. Nor did CBS have a copy. Only Bacall herself possessed a tape of her sole performance in a Coward play.

Bacall will return to Coward this fall, when she returns to Broadway stage in Waiting in the Wings.

Though known primarily for his stage efforts, and secondarily for his occasional film work, playwright-actor-composer Noel Coward made his share of television appearances. New York's Museum of Television and Film will screen many of these in a series called.

Among the programs to be shown -- mostly dating from the golden age of live television -- are "Ford Star Jubilee: Together with Music" (1955), "Producers Showcase: Tonight at 8:30" (1954), "Ford Star Jubilee: This Happy Breed" (1956), "Camera Three: Mad About the Boy -- A Celebration" (1976), and guest shots on "The Dick Cavett Show," "What's My Line?" and "Small World." The Museum of Television and Radio is located at 25 W. 52nd Street. For more information call (212) 621-6800, or check their web site at http://www.mtr.org.

-- By Robert Simonson